From the Bullpen: Blame game

The OVC finals are over, and the team is definitely not sitting in the spot I had hoped for.

Those last couple minutes of overtime in the game against Belmont were hard to watch, especially that last basket made by Kerron Johnson to make the score 70-68. I wanted to cry for our team. It was so sad to see the possible end of their season, after all they had accomplished.

Before the game had even ended, the blame game begun. All over Twitter people were bashing our players, who had given their all and tried to win for themselves and for us, fans. Players, who just a few hours earlier could do no wrong, were now under fire. The comments I read just made me sad. There is no reason for people to be so hurtful.

This team has accomplished so much, and our seniors did not deserve to be treated like this. This was a big game, and there were some costly mistakes. The team paid for them, so let’s not allow this one game to erase all of their accomplishments.

Yes, Isaiah Canaan dribbled off of his foot and turned the ball over in the final minutes of overtime. That was an unfortunate mistake, but let’s not forget all the good he has done as a Racer.

Canaan recorded his first double-double at Murray State against Belmont, with 22 points and 10 assists. He was one rebound away from earning a triple-double. In the first game of the tournament against Eastern Kentucky, Canaan became a member of the 2,000-point club.

Let’s also not forget that amazing half-court shot from his knees at the OVC Tournament when he was a freshman. Most recently he has been named U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men’s All-District Team for the second time.

Yes, Ed Daniel missed two free throws, which we needed badly to avoid overtime. It was hard to watch. But let’s not forget all of the success he has brought to Murray State basketball.

Daniel should be remembered for his awesome hair and crazy dunks. He has had 15 double-doubles this season, which is ranked among the best in the nation. He also doubled his scoring and rebounding totals this year.

Both players are part of the winningest team in Racer history and were named to the All-OVC first team for the season.

It is easy to pick out one or two players and place all the blame on them. We lost the game and it is all insert players’ name here fault. What fans need to remember, is basketball is a team sport. No one basketball player plays the game by himself, though sometimes it can appear so. They have their team to back them up.

If you have noticed, the players’ last names are not on the back of their jerseys. Many other teams including some at the OVC Tournament did.

Basketball is not about a single player on the team, though many focus on the superstar.

It is about the name on the front of the jersey, Murray State, not the name on the back. I love how our team acknowledges this.